abiotic

American  

[ey-bahy-ot-ik, ab-ee-] / ˌeɪ baɪˈɒt ɪk, ˌæb i- /

Also abiotical

adjective

1. of or characterized by the absence of life or living organisms.

---

abiotic Scientific  

/ ā′bī-ŏt′ĭk /

1. Not associated with or derived from living organisms. Abiotic factors in an environment include such items as sunlight, temperature, wind patterns, and precipitation.

2. Compare biotic

---

Other Word Forms

• abiotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of abiotic

a- ⁶ + biotic

Compare meaning

How does abiotic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• biotic vs. abiotic

Explanation

In science, anything abiotic is not alive. Abiotic factors in an ecosystem are things like temperature, ocean currents, and humidity. Abiotic elements play an important role in the world, in a variety of ways. Everything that isn't living, and never was living, is considered abiotic—from the sand on the beach and boulders on a mountain to the sunlight from above and the mineral makeup of the soil beneath your feet. Abiotic comes from the prefix a-, "without," and biotic, "pertaining to life."

Example Sentences

Specifically, they cite several questions that existing laws leave unaddressed -- including issues of atmospheric and abiotic contamination -- which constitute important gaps in planetary policy that must be confronted, collaboratively.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2024

“This is the first sign of an abiotic source,” says Nora Hänni, a chemist at the University of Bern who presented the discovery last week at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 26, 2024

This new AI technique works by recognizing patterns across the composition of various samples and categorizing them as living or nonliving based on what it "knows" about patterns of biotic or abiotic objects.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2023

The authors add that until now the origins of many ancient carbon-bearing samples have been difficult to determine because collections of organic molecules, whether biotic or abiotic, tend to degrade over time.

From Science Daily • Sep. 25, 2023

Thus, mineral nutrients are cycled, either rapidly or slowly, through the entire biosphere between the biotic and abiotic world and from one living organism to another.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013